Collar stop



May 14, 1963 M. M. LILLY 3,089,545 COLLAR sToP Filed Aug. l0, 1960 /VQJOH M 1N V EN TOR.

3,089,545 COLLAR STG? Mason M. Lilly, Houston, Tex., assigner, by mesne asto Harold Brown Company, 'a corporation This invention relates to tools particularly adapted for use in oil wells, and more particularly it relates to stop means used to position oil well tools at a desired location within an oil well pipe, as for example at a position at which there is an annular internal recess in the oil well pipe, as at the juncture between two joints of pipe, joined by a collar. Such a tool is commonly referred to by those skilled in the art as a collar stop, and will be so referred to in this specification.

A collar stop may be used to position and support a variety of oil well tools in a well pipe, as for example gas lift valves. Many gas lift valves may be lowered into oil well tubing to a desired location opposite one or more apertures in said tubing, through which a gaseous -luid is admitted to the valve. The location of the gas lift valve in the tubing can be approximated by a measurement of the length of cable expended in lowering the tool into the well, but it is preferable to have more positive means for exact location of the tool. Such positive means is provided by the collar stop of this invention.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide means for positioning a well tool at a desired position within a well pipe.

It is another object to provide such means which may be easily and rapidly lowered to the desired position, and may be set at such a desired position, by a single movement.

Still another object is to provide such means which may be readily retrieved from its set position by a simple upward pull on the well tool.

The accomplishment of these and other objects of this invention will become more apparent upon consideration of the following description and the accompanying drawings, wherein- FIGURE 1 is an elevational view of an embodiment of this invention,

lFIGURE 2 is a vertical sectional view of the embodiment of FIGURE l, showing the collar stop in condition for lowering into a well pipe, and

FIGURE 3 is a bottom view of the embodiment of FIGURE 1, taken at line 3-3 of FIGURE 2.

In the drawings, it will be seen that the collar stop of the embodiment shown comprises only two piecesand a keeper sleeve 12. Body has means by which it may be attached to a well tool, as for example female threads 14. The body is an elongate, preferably tubular member having a collar portion and a plurality of substantially parallel fingers extending longitudinally therefrom. In the embodiment shown in the drawing, the fingers comprise a pair of oppositely disposed -ingers 16 which function as a mandrel, and which have an outwardly directed shoulder 18 thereon comprising a stop, and a pair of resilient anchor fingers 20 which are disposed opposite each other and intermediate the mandrel fingers 16. In a preferred construction, and as shown in the drawing, the mandrel and the resilient anchor iingers are formed from a tubular element by cutting longitudinal slots from one end to near the other end, whereby the tubular member is circumferentially divided into oppositely disposed mandrel portions and resilient anchor fingers. Resilient anchor ngers 26 are shortened, in that they terminate at a point spaced away from the stops 18 on mandrel lingers 16. Each resilient 3,@3945 Patented May 14, 1963 ine anchor finger 20 also has an end portion 22 which is bent outwardly at an obtuse angle with respect to the linger to an extent that these end portions normally extend radially outwardly beyond the body member 10.

Sleeve 12 is slidably mounted on mandrel ngers 16 intermediate stops 18 and the ends 22 of resilient anchor iingers 20. Sleeve 12 is provided with a counterbore 24 in its end which faces the resilient anchor fingers, this counterbore being adapted to engage the ends 22 of the resilient lingers and thereby prevent ends 22 from assuming their normal position.

In operation, the collar stop of this invention is attached to a well tool by means of threads 14, and the tool is lowered into the well on a wire line to approximately the desired setting level. An upward jar is then applied to the tool, and the inertia of sleeve 12 causes the body 10 to slide upwardly with respect to the sleeve, thereby releasing iinger ends 22 from the counterbore 24. The resiliency of ingers 20 causes them to spring outwardly until the linger ends 22 engage the wall of the well pipe. The tool is then moved upwardly or downwardly in the well pipe until the finger ends 22 encounter the annular internal recess in the well pipe, as for example at a collar. The well tool is thereby positively positioned at a desired level in the well pipe with respect to the annular recess.

To remove the well tool from the well pipe, it is only necessary to exert an upward pull, since the downwardly diverging ends of resilient anchor lingers 20 are readily moved upward past collars and other recesses in the bore of the well pipe.

It is thus apparent that means have been provided for accurately positioning and retaining a well tool at a desired level in the well pipe by means of a single vertical movement. Although a preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown and described herein, the invention is not limited to this embodiment, but only as set forth by the following claims.

I claim:

1. A collar stop for positioning a well pipe having an internal annular recess, comprising a tubular body having upper and lower ends insertable into said Well pipe, means on the upper end of said body for attachment to a well tool, said body comprising a plurality of longitudinally extending alternating mandrel portions and resilient anchor iingers, stop means on the lower ends of said mandrel portions, at least a portion of the lower end of each said resilient linger normally diverging radially outwardly and toward said stop means to a position whereby said resilient fingers can engage the annular recess, a keeper sleeve slidably disposed on said mandrel portions between said stop means and said diverging portions, and means on said sleeve adapted to engage said diverging portions and retain them against radially outward movement.

2. A collar stop for positioning a well tool at a desired level in a Well pipe having an internal annular recess, comprising a tubular body having upper and lower ends insertable into said well pipe, means on the upper end said body for attachment to a well tool, said body comprising a plurality of longitudinally extending alternating mandrel portions and resilient anchor lingers, at least a portion of the lower end of each said resilient finger normally diverging radially outwardly far enough to engage the annular recess, and means slidable longitudinally on said mandrel portions adapted to engage said diverging portions and retain them against radially outward movement.

3. A collar stop as defined by claim 2 wherein said means slidable on said mandrel portions comprises a sleeve having a counterbore in which the diverging portions are adapted to be retained.

apaga/15 4. A collar stop as defined by claim 3 wherein said resilient fingers terminate short of the lower ends of said mandrel portions, and including stop means on said mandrel portions spaced below said diverging portions at a distance greater than the length of said keeper sleeve, whereby said sleeve may move longitudinally of said mandrel portions from a position engaging said diverging portions to a position releasing said diverging portions.

5. A collar stop for positioning a well tool at a desired level in a well pipe having an internal annular recess, comprising a tubular body having upper and lower ends insertable in said well pipe, means on the upper end of said body for attachment to a well tool, a plurality of longitudinal slots extending from the lower end of said body to near the upper end of said body circumferentially dividing said body into mandrel portions and resilient nger portions, outwardly diverging free ends on said resilient ngers normally extending outwardly sufficiently to engage said internal annular recess, and means slidable on said mandrel portions adapted to engage said diverging ends and retain them against outward movement.

6. A collar stop as dened by claim 5 wherein said means slidable on said mandrel portions comprises a sleeve having a counterbore in which the diverging ends are adapted to be retained.

7. A collar stop as defined by claim 6 wherein said resilient iingers are shorter than said mandrel portions, and including stop means on said mandrel portions spaced below said diverging ends at a distance greater than the length of said sleeve, whereby said sleeve may move longitudinally of said mandrel portions from a position engaging said diverging ends to a position releasing said diverging ends.

8. A collar stop for positioning a well tool at a desired level in a Well pipe having an internal annular recess, comprising a tubular body insertable in said well pipe, means at one end of said body adapted to attach a well tool thereto, a plurality of longitudinal slots extending from near said one end to the other end of the Ibody circumferentially dividing said body into oppositely disposed mandrel portions each terminating in a free end at the other end of the body and oppositely disposed resilient nger portions normally diverging radially outwardly towards the other end of said body far enough to engage said internal annular recess and terminating short of said other end, radially outwardly directed stop means on the free ends of said mandrel portions, a sleeve slidably disposed on said mandrel portions having a length such that it may be disposed on said stop means in spaced relation to said resilient finger portions at one position of said sleeve, and a counterbore in the end of the sleeve facing the resilient ringer portions and adapted to engage the resilient finger portions at another position of said sleeve and retain the resilient finger portions against radially outward movement.

9. A collar stop for positioning a well tool at a desired level in a well pipe having an internal annular recess, comprising, a tubular body having upper and lower ends insertable in said well pipe, means on the upper end of said body for attachment to a well tool, said body comprising a plurality of alternating mandrel portions and resilient anchor lingers extending longitudinally from a point adjacent the upper end of the body to the lower end thereof, said anchor fingers being shorter than said mandrel portions and terminating in diverging end portions normally extending radially outwardly of the exterior of the body, outwardly extending stop means carried by the lower ends of said mandrel ngers spaced below said diverging end portions, a keeper sleeve slidably mounted on said mandrel fingers intermediate said diverging end portions and said stop means, and a counterbore in the end of said keeper sleeve facing said diverging end portions adapted to engage the latter and retain them in a radially retracted position.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 942,701 Baker Dec. 7, 1909 1,514,062 McLain Nov. 4, 1924 2,033,521 Horn Mar. 10, 1936 2,568,867 Otis Sept. 25, 1951 2,941,599 Dahn .Tune 21, 1960 

2. A COLLAR STOP FOR POSITIONING A WELL TOOL AT A DESIRED LEVEL IN A WELL PIPE HAVING AN INTERNAL ANNULAR RECESS, COMPRISING A TUBULAR BODY HAVING UPPER AND LOWER ENDS INSERTABLE INTO SAID WELL PIPE, MEANS ON THE UPPER END OF SAID BODY FOR ATTACHMENT TO A WELL TOOL, SAID BODY COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING ALTERNATING MANDREL PORTIONS AND RESILIENT ANCHOR FINGERS, AT LEAST PORTION OF THE LOWER END OF EACH SAID RESILIENT FINGER NORMALLY DIVERGING RADIALLY OUTWARDLY FAR ENOUGH TO ENGAGE THE ANNULAR RECESS, AND MEANS SLIDABLE LONGITUDINALLY ON SAID MANDREL PORTIONS ADAPTED TO ENGAGE SAID DIVERGING PORTIONS AND RETAIN THEM AGAINST RADIALLY OUTWARD MOVEMENT. 